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Beef Maltagliati with Red Wine and Smoked Bacon

17/11/2023

Beef maltagliati with red wine and smoked bacon is a richly flavored dish that combines the tenderness of beef with the intense taste of wine and the smoky saltiness of bacon. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

  • 400 g of maltagliati or other egg pasta
  • 300 g of beef (suitable cut for braising, such as shoulder or rump)
  • 150 g of smoked bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 500 ml of robust red wine (Chianti, Barolo, etc.)
  • 400 ml of beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Fresh rosemary, thyme, and a bay leaf
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnishing

Preparation

  1. Dice the beef and season with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat a drizzle of oil and brown the meat on all sides until well-sealed. Remove from the pot and set aside.

  2. In the same pot, add a bit more oil if necessary and fry the bacon until crispy. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are slightly softened.

  3. Return the beef to the pot with the vegetables, add the tomato paste, and mix well. Pour in the red wine and let it evaporate on high heat for a few minutes, then lower the fire.

  4. Add the beef broth until everything is covered, insert the aromatic herbs (rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf), and let it simmer with the lid on for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

  5. When the meat is almost ready, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water following the package instructions for cooking times. Drain the pasta al dente and keep some of the cooking water aside.

  6. Remove the aromatic herbs from the pot with the beef and adjust salt and pepper if needed. Add the maltagliati to the meat sauce, adding a bit of the cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Stir gently for a few minutes so that the pasta absorbs the flavor of the sauce.

  7. Serve on plates with a generous sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Curiosity

The term “maltagliati” literally means “badly cut” and refers to irregularly shaped pieces of egg pasta, typically produced by reusing leftover pasta from the preparation of other shapes. This gives the dish a rustic and traditional feel, characteristic of homemade Italian cuisine.

Beef Maltagliati with Red Wine and Smoked Bacon